There are many barriers and challenges to the economic empowerment of women in distress, i.e., residents of shelters and prisons, while there are also success stories of their successful reintegration into society. This baseline study aims to understand the programs, policies, and practices for economic empowerment of women residing in shelters and prisons. Its geographical scope covers the cities of Islamabad, Karachi, Sukkur, Lahore, Multan, Peshawar, and Quetta.

COVID-19, the novel Corona Virus Disease that was first detected in China in November 2019, has now spread to 206 countries or regions. As of April 5, 2020, 1,203,485 cases have been reported worldwide with 64,784 confirmed fatalities. There is an unequivocal evidence that COVID-19 is not just a global public health emergency but is also leading the world to a major global, economic downturn, with potentially strong adverse impacts on the livelihoods of vulnerable groups.